Erasing the "T"

 

‘Transgender’ and ‘queer’ erased from Stonewall Uprising national monument website

A view of the Gay Liberation statues in
 Stonewall National Monument
 Greenwich Village NY

CNN — The National Park Service has removed references to transgender and queer people on its web page for the Stonewall National Monument, which marks the site of the New York City inn where LGBTQ rioters – including now-legendary transgender activists – galvanized a movement for LGBTQ rights.

On the NPS web page, the term “LGBTQ+” was also shortened to “LGB,” according to an archived version of the page.

“This feels especially personal … when you’re coming into the birthplace of the LGBTQ rights movement – where Pride began – and erasing the history of the LGBTQ rights movement by erasing trans folks,” said Stacy Lentz, co-owner of the Stonewall Inn.

The Stonewall Inn at the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village is prized as an origin of the contemporary LGBTQ rights movement and is internationally revered as a symbol of gay, lesbian and transgender resistance. The gay bar was the site of a 1969 police raid that sparked a fierce backlash from its patrons and led to days of protests and skirmishes between LGBTQ rioters and police.

The National Parks Service’s action is the latest move in the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to expunge references to trans and nonbinary people across federal agencies.

Since President Donald Trump issued a directive last month that the federal government only recognize two genders: male and female, agencies including the State Department and CDC have truncated the “LGBTQ+” acronym to simply “LGB,” erased references to trans, queer and intersex people, and removed web pages and data sets relating to the groups.

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Trump has in recent weeks issued a parade of executive orders aimed at eliminating trans community’s access to health care, ability to participate in sports and serve openly in the military. Some of the orders have already created chaos and confusion as they threaten to revoke federal funding for hospitals, research institutions, colleges and universities that provide services for trans people or organize programs to benefit them.

“We’re seeing history replay in real time and we cannot allow for that,” Christina said. “We must stand up. We must align as a community and fight back and support trans, nonbinary and intersex people in this country because we are in danger.”

Community embers began gathering outside the Stonewall Thursday night as news of the park service’s action spread, Lentz said. She believed the crowd will continue growing and tip off protests in the coming days.